Barley growing farmers in Sebei tipped on good post-harvest handling practices to minimise losses

By Moses Oketa

Kween – Barley growing farmers in the Sebei Sub-region lose over 35 percent of their produce due to poor post-harvest handling and lack of storage facilities. But their worries could be history as Nile Breweries Uganda Limited has come in handy with a timey solution.

The Managing Director Nile Breweries Uganda Limited Adu Rando asked the farmers within the area to improve their storage techniques and minimise the losses they are incurring.

Mr. Rando says that currently Nile Breweries buys over eight thousand (8,000) metric tonnes of barley from the farmers in the Sebei Sub-region.

He made the remarks recently while launching a Shs4 billion  barley drying and cleaning facility in Cheminy, Kween district.

“We continue to source for 100 percent of our raw materials that we need to make beer locally within Uganda,” he said, adding that over the last five years the company has tripled the amount of barley that is being produced by the farmers and went from being a net importer of raw materials to produce beer to being a net exporter of malt in 2023.

The plant, strategically located in the heart of Sebei Sub-region, will play a pivotal role in advancing the quality and sustainability of barley production in the region.

The company also offers access to finance to the out-growers and training so that they improve on their barley yield, and also buys directly from the farmers to eliminate middlemen who many times cheat the farmers.

The barley drying and cleaning plant boasts cutting-edge technology and is the first dryer of its kind in Uganda.

Nile Breweries uses homegrown barley, sorghum, maize and cassava to brew its beers.

Currently, the brewer has contracted over 25,000 farmers in northern, eastern and south-western Uganda and purchases produce worth Shs109.3 billion annually from local farmers.

The brewery is also constructing a second barley dryer in Kabale district which is expected to be commissioned in the coming year 2024.